Guilds
A guild is an organization of craftsman of a particular field who control the practice of their craft within the collective kingdoms of Ga'leah. Although an individual can practice a craft without being a member of the guild which oversees that craft, they are very restricted on where they can practice, where they can sell, and to whom they can sell. There are no gender restrictions on guild membership. Because guilds transcend the boundaries of kingdoms and operate throughout Ga'leah, they do not adhere to any one cultural belief but will review the masterwork of any individual who qualifies. However, some members of a guild may choose not to practice their crafts within certain kingdoms despite their guild membership to avoid any confrontations or loss of business due to their gender, kingdom of origin, or appearance. Those in training to become artisans are called Apprentices. Those who have been accepted into a guild are called Masters. Individuals who operate outside of a guild or are trying to craft a masterwork outside of apprenticeship to a Master are called Journeymen. Applying for Entry In order to become a member of a guild, the artisan in question must provide the guild with a 'masterwork' or a piece of work which they believe is the best representation of what they can create and how well they have mastered their craft. The guild then reviews the masterwork, meticulously testing it's integrity and craftsmanship while testing for flaws in its design. If a masterwork meets with the approval of the guild, the artisan who created it is permitted to enter the guild as a member. They are then expected to pay dues to the guild each year in exchange for all of the opportunities afforded to them as guild members. Some guilds are more elite than others. The Tailor's guild requires that someone work as an apprentice to a Master Tailor for a period of several years before they are permitted to submit their masterwork. The masterwork must also be submitted by the individual they apprenticed beneath as a gesture of good faith and acknowledgment that the Master Tailor believes that they have learned all that they can learn as an apprentice. Apprenticeships with Master Tailors are, therefore, much coveted and hard to come by causing some to even pay a Tailor to give their child the opportunity to learn the craft. Other guilds like the Blacksmith's guild are much more concerned with the craftsmanship of the product. Apprenticeship is encouraged, but not required to submit a masterwork to the Blacksmith's guild. But, the masterwork is put to a vast number of grueling tests to ensure that is fully functional as well as pleasing to the eye. If it fails even one of the tests, the masterwork is scrapped and the individual in question is never permitted to submit another masterwork to the Blacksmith's guild again. Most guilds, however, fall somewhere between these two extremes. Membership After a masterwork is accepted by the guild in question, the artisan can claim the title 'Master' when referring to their occupation. They are also given a token by the guild (such as a pin, medallion, broach or patch) that identifies them as a member. This token must be kept on their person and protected because it allows them to practice their craft in any city in Ga'leah. Many of the larger towns in Ga'leah are also supported by the craftsmen guilds. All of the cities in Ga'leah require that an artisan practicing their craft within the borders of the city (including selling wares within the marketplace) be an accepted member of the artisans' guilds. Those who are caught practicing without such membership can be expelled from the city, barred from entering it in the future, and are sometimes forced to surrender personal possessions if they have failed to collect them before being turned out of the city. Many towns within Ga'leah also practice these restrictions to a lesser degree. Typically, the noble people which claim the lands of said cities and towns are compensated by the artisan guilds in an effort to make such harsh restrictions seem beneficial to the nobility involved. Although all cities within Ga'leah support the guilds, not all towns do as well. There are some towns within the kingdoms that are open to people not recognized by the guilds. Membership in a guild is beneficial to all. It allows all of the artisans within a city or town to ensure that practices are fair and that there is no undercutting of prices of backdoor deals which would make competition between artisans untoward. They pay dues to the guild, but in return receive special benefits as well. If a guild member dies and leaves a spouse or children without a means to care for themselves, the guild will provide for them. This may involve giving the children an apprenticeship within another Master member's workshop, giving the spouse a position of employment within one of their businesses, or even providing dowries for girls to aquire good marriages. If a guild member is injured or falls ill and cannot pay for their home or the upkeep of their family, similar actions are taken to ensure that the Master member and his or her family do not become homeless or lose their positions within society. If a Master member's property, including workshop and home, are damaged, the guild will reach out to neighboring guilds to find artisans willing to help with the repair at a reduced cost. Much of the nobility will only do business with members of their respective Guilds. Nobility that does business with artisans who are not members of a guild will likely not be in good standing with the guilds collectively. Royalty has nothing to gain from guilds and therefore has be known to completely overlook guild membership when hiring or doing business with professionals. Hierarchy Members of a guild are all those who have had their masterwork accepted by the guild and are given the title 'Master' to put before their profession to indicate their guild membership. All Master members of a guild are equal. Guilds meet twice a year to elect any necessary new officials and pay out any compensations or help members of the guild who are in need of varying kinds of assistance. There are seven officials within the guild who no longer practice their craft but instead see to the administration of guild business from their headquarters. Officials must be voted on via secret ballot by the Master members of a guild during one of their twice yearly meetings. Most officials are older members of the guild in good standing who have retired from practicing their crafts due to advanced age. They are typically the ones who examine masterworks and determine if an Applicant is worthy of joining the guild. Nearly every artisan guild had a headquarters located within Soristine in Dokrayth, a kingdom that is known throughout Ga'leah for welcoming and supporting craftsman. However, the curse placed upon Princess Aurora Vauclain nearly one century ago caused the persecution and outlaw of textile workers within the kingdom of Dokaryth. All textile guilds relocated from Soritstine to Thrine and have remained even after the persecution in Dokrayth ended. The Blight The fall of Soristine to the Blight saw both the death of many guild officials as well as the loss of guild headquarters within the capital city of Soristine. Guild officials who survived evacuated to one of the major cities in one of the other kingdoms. Although not all guilds evacuated to the same city, all of the surviving officials within a specific guild all stayed together. (For instance, the surviving officials of the Blacksmith's guild all evacuated to Caerleon.) In the upheaval caused by the Blight and later evacuations, many Master members of a guilds were killed or let without a home or means to practice their craft. The guilds were not ready to support such vast numbers of Master members left destitute and many of the guilds have been to crumble and fracture as unhappy Master members who are not receiving the assistance they were promised turn their backs upon mandates made by the guilds and do as they please with their businesses. Whether the guilds can recover from the Blight and reorganize to be the organizations of power and influence they once were remains to be seen. Established Guilds The following are a list of guilds established in Once Upon a Nightmare. It is possible for new guilds to be created with new professions. If you are interested in establishing a new guild, please talk to the staff via their Mod Squad account. Please note that sometimes professions already fall under a pre-established guild. Silversmiths are typically members of the Blacksmiths' guild while seamstresses fall under the Tailors' guild, for example. Bakers' Applicants to the Bakers' Guild do not have to apprentice under a Master Baker, but they are also not permitted to make their masterwork before appearing before the guild. Instead, they are required to make whatever items the guild requests without benefit of a recipe and with no idea what items will be requested. The quality of these items determines if they are ready to become Master Bakers. As with most guilds, they were based in Soristine. Blacksmiths' Apprenticeship is encouraged but not required. Anyone may submit a masterwork to the Blacksmiths' Guild. However, masterworks are tested ruthlessly and if the works fail the tests, an Applicant can never attempt to join the guild again. Typically masterwork consists of a weapon and a piece of armor or shield. Silversmiths typically master the art of blacksmithing first and after achieving master status are afforded the opportunity and wealth necessary to begin working with and mastering the art of silversmithing. Carpenters' Apprenticeship is encouraged but not required. Applicants to the Carpenters' Guild must pay a fee of considerable amount to have their masterwork reviewed by the guild. Applicants can resubmit a masterwork as many times as they like, but they must pay a separate fee each time. Some Carpenters have been known to specialize on such things as toy making like Gepetto of Xehacora. Tailors' The Tailors' Guild is extremely elitist and requires that all Applicants spend time studying under a Master Tailor. All masterworks must be submitted by a Master Tailor on the Applicants' behalf. Because of this, apprenticeship with a Master Tailor can be hard to achieve and some have even been known to pay for their children to have the honor.